Eucalyptus conspicua

Eucalyptus conspicua, commonly known as Gippsland swamp-box,[3] is a species of small tree that is endemic to southeastern Australia. It has rough, thick, fibrous bark from the trunk to its small branches, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and conical or hemispherical fruit. The crown of the tree is composed of a dull bluish-green juvenile, intermediate and adult leaves.

Gippsland swamp-box
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. conspicua
Binomial name
Eucalyptus conspicua

Description

Eucalyptus conspicua is a tree with rough, thick, fibrous bark on the trunk to its small branches. The crown of the tree is dull bluish green and includes juvenile, intermediate and adult leaves. Young plants have leaves that are arranged in opposite pairs and are sessile, glaucous, egg-shaped, heart-shaped or more or less round, 25–60 mm (0.98–2.36 in) long and wide. Adult leaves are the same dull bluish green or glaucous on both sides, lance-shaped to curved, 60–220 mm (2.4–8.7 in) long and 14–45 mm (0.55–1.77 in) wide on a petiole up to 23 mm (0.91 in) long. The flower buds are borne in groups of seven on a peduncle 5–14 mm (0.20–0.55 in) long, the individual buds sessile or on a pedicel up to 2 mm (0.079 in) long. Mature buds are spindle-shaped to diamond-shaped, 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) long and 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) wide with a conical operculum. Flowering occurs between January and May and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody conical to hemispherical capsule 4–9 mm (0.16–0.35 in) long and 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) wide with the valves level with the rim or extending beyond it.[3][4][5][6]

Taxonomy and naming

Eucalyptus conspicua was first formally described in 1991 by Lawrie Johnson and Ken Hill and the description was published in the journal Telopea.[7] The specific epithet (conspicua) is a Latin word meaning "visible" or "prominent",[8] referring to the distinctive glaucous colour of the tree, making it stand out from other vegetation in its habitat.[5]

Distribution and habitat

Gippsland swamp-gum grows in poorer soils, especially on hillsides or on damp heathy flats. It occurs south from Eden in New South Wales to Genoa in Victoria.[4][6]

References
  1. Fensham, R., Collingwood, T. & Laffineur, B. 2019. Eucalyptus conspicua. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T133378716A133378718. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T133378716A133378718.en. Downloaded on 28 September 2021.
  2. "Eucalyptus conspicua". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  3. "Eucalyptus conspicua". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  4. Hill, Ken. "Eucalyptus conspicua". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  5. Hill, Kenneth; Johnson, Lawrence (1 March 1991). "Systematic studies in the eucalypts - 3. New taxa and combinations in Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae)". Telopea. 4 (2): 235–237. doi:10.7751/telopea19914928.
  6. Brooker, M. Ian; Slee, Andrew V. "Eucalyptus conspicua". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  7. "Eucalyptus conspicua". APNI. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  8. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 209.
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